BOLTON and Wigan councils have begun negotiations to determine if they can share street cleaning and bin collection duties.

The neighbouring authorities are looking at ways they can team up to provide environmental services — covering street cleaning, bins and recycling — which is thought could save up to £3 million for cash-strapped Bolton Council.

Bosses insist there will be no major changes to frontline services or a reduction in the number of bin collections — but up to 60 jobs could lost in the Bolton department following the changes.

The discussions come as Bolton Town Hall plans to cut £43 million from the 2015-17 budget, while Wigan Council has been told to find £12 million for each of the next three financial years.

Leaders have hailed a similar partnership which saw a joint IT services launched last year as a success, which has saved nearly £1 million.

Malcolm Cox, director of environmental services at Bolton Council is leading the talks for Bolton.

He said: “Bolton Council must make savings of £43 million between 2015 and 2017, of which up to £6.3 million must come from the environmental services division.

“We have started talks with Wigan to explore shared services, which will create efficiencies and save money, without any major changes to frontline service delivery.”

It is understood that by combining the services, savings will be made in management and by sharing staff, plants and equipment.

Cllr Nick Peel, the cabinet member in charge of environmental services, said residents should not see any difference in the frequency of their bin collections if talks are successful.

He added: “There could be some options in re-designing the routes that can overlap the boundaries, or the collection day might change for some people.

“People won’t see any difference in the vehicles. It would still be a Bolton bin wagon

“Wigan are probably most similar to us than any of our partners in terms of their ethos. Wigan were the obvious choice for us and we were the obvious choice for them.

“This is about the management systems and logistics, as well as doing some with share use of depots and vehicles.”

He added talks had taken place between other authorities, but not on the same scale.

Terry Dunn, director of environment for Wigan Council, said many ideas were on the table.

He said: “Councils have got be creative in order to cut costs. Ways of working have to change and we need innovative ideas to ensure we continue to offer good services at a price we can afford.

“The success of our shared IT contract with Bolton shows we can work together to get a better deal for taxpayers without affecting the service we provide to the public.”

A final decision on the partnership will be made when Bolton Council decides on its budget for 2015 to 2017 in February.